Oxbotica and NEVS to put a self-driving fleet on European roads in 2023
Oxbotica, a mobility startup supported by Oxford University, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Swedish mobility innovator NEVS, to put an autonomous, all-electric fleet on European roads by 2023.
The fleet will be formed by the Sango vehicle, developed by NEVS, and run on the Oxbotica Driver autonomy system. The aim is to deploy the first fleet on public roads in 2023 through geo-fencing and expand the number of autonomous fleets across Europe in 2024. The next step includes going global by expanding the NEVS mobility ecosystem in 2025.
NEVS mobility ecosystem includes a fleet management system and an app for customers, while Oxbotica Driver comprises a combination of technologies compatible with any sensor, vehicle and platform.
The fully autonomous Sango vehicle has six moveable seats and privacy walls to create four smaller spaces for private journeys.
Building 'universal autonomy'
Oxbotica raised $47 million at the beginning of 2021 to develop a holistic solution for self-driving vehicles, including navigation, fleet management and perception of the surrounding environment, regardless of the hardware adopted. The company calls this flexible technology "universal autonomy", for autonomous power vehicles. The startup is backed by several big investors, including bp ventures and Tencent.
Oxbotica says the combination of their technology with the Sango vehicle is a perfect match, which will make cities safer, cleaner and less congested by providing an urban mobility service.
NEVS describes the deal as a breakthrough to provide safer and smarter mobility, paving the way for sustainable cities. The deal also 'completes' NEVS mobility solution, which will enable the company to deploy pilots and commercial fleets.
NEVS was established in 2012 and presented its first fully autonomous InMotion Concept in 2018 at CES Asia. In 2020, NEVS launched the PONS mobility ecosystem, with Sango being at the core.
Image: Oxbotica
